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The cash and carry group recorded a 6.7pc lift in sales to £5.3bn for the year to March 24. Pre-tax profits rose 15pc to £174m during the year.

Like-for-like retail sales were up 0.5pc during the year with a 2.8pc growth in non-tobacco sales. Tobacco sales dropped by 4.6pc after being hit by new Government legislation.

Charles Wilson, Booker chief executive, said that around 90pc of tobacco products previously stocked by its retail customers at Budgens, Londis, Premier and Happy Shopper had to be taken off the shelves ahead of incoming rules that bans the sale of price-marked...